1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to outerwear garments worn by children and adults, and more specifically relates to jacket-like upper torso garments capable of being integrally transformed in shape to serve other functions. Outerwear garments capable of being transformed by addition or removal of various parts have been known for many years. For example, many jacket and coat-like garments have incorporated removable inner lining elements to accommodate seasonal changes in outdoor temperature. Other garments, including jackets and pants have incorporated removable arm and leg portions for converting long sleeve shirts and jackets, and long pants, into short sleeve and short leg versions similarly intended to accommodate the wearer to seasonal weather changes. However, an outerwear garment specifically adapted to accommodate the current popularity of so-called back packs and waist packs, and the desirability of an inexpensive and convenient way to store and transport an outwear garment, especially when it cannot be allowed to remain in a fixed location apart from the person responsible for it, is believed not to have been known or available previously.
2. Description of the Invention
Although the garment of the present invention is suitable for use by both children and adults, it will be recognized readily that the embodiment herein disclosed is particularly suited to meet the requirements of children and young adults. The disclosed embodiment comprises an outerwear garment intended to be worn on the upper torso of a person.
The garment may be jacket-length or longer, and may be sleeveless or may incorporate long or short sleeves, without affecting or departing from the spirit and operation of the invention. When the garment is not being worm, for example in an indoor environment, or when ambient outdoor conditions make it desirable to remove a shirt or jacket, the garment of this invention can be transformed readily into a self-contained package in the form of a portable cushion, or, the garment may have a back pack assembly separably or integrally attached and may be transformed into a wearable back pack with the structural elements of the garment stored out-of-sight as part of the resulting assembly package.